Our Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev prediction is that this is going to be a real banger, possibly even winning the Fight of the Night accolade at UFC St. Louis. The reason? Both fighters are incredibly fun to watch in the Octagon.
Nursulton Ruziboev, for instance, has a finish rate of over 94%. Plus, in each of his last 10 fights, the Uzbek fighter won inside the distance – 6 times by KO/TKO and 4 times by submission.
On May 11 in St. Louis, he’s fighting Joaquin Buckley, a striking expert whose knockout-to-win ratio is more than 72%. Further, this guy is responsible for what many consider the most impressive knockout in the history of the UFC – the spinning back kick KO against Impa Kasanganay.
Obviously, Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev just has to be a fantastic fight, but who’s going to win it? If you’d like to see our prediction, just keep on reading this UFC St. Louis preview!
Before Betting on Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev UFC St. Louis Fight
As mentioned, both fighters are great finishers, but their set of martial arts skills does differ. Joaquin Buckley is first and foremost a striker who lands over 4 significant strikes a minute.
He’s also a decent wrestler who makes 1.40 takedowns per fight on average. However, submissions aren’t his thing.
It’s a bit different story when it comes to Nursulton Ruziboev. Twenty of this guy’s 34 career wins happened by submission. He also hits very hard, the evidence being that he’s got 12 wins by KO/TKO in his MMA portfolio.
On top of that, the Uzbek fighter also has some experience with boxing. His professional record in this sport is 2-0.
Ruziboev demonstrated his striking skills in the two UFC fights he’s fought so far. Both of those he won inside the distance – he beat Brunno Ferreira by a KO and Sedriques Dumas by TKO.
Being 6’5, he’s very hard to reach, which explains why he’s without a knockout loss for a long time. In fact, it’s been almost 10 years since he suffered his first and, so far, only loss by this method.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Nursulton Ruziboev UFC St. Louis Offshore Odds & Pick
| Offshore Sportsbook | Joaquin Buckley | Nursulton Ruziboev |
| BetOnline | -138 | +118 |
| MyBookie | -133 | +108 |
| BetUS | -130 | +100 |
| SportsBetting.ag | -138 | +118 |
| XBet | -133 | +108 |
Each fighter got a TKO win six weeks ago, meaning that they both feel very confident coming into this fight. They’re both incredible finishers but we think Buckley is slightly better. Plus, he’s fighting on home turf on May 11. Born and raised in St. Louis, he’ll have his fans to root for him in the UFC on ESPN 56 fight.
Pick: Joaquin Buckley (-130)
